


Catch Me When I'm Weightless

by pudding_bretzel



Series: Catch Me When I'm Weightless [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Batman Bingo, Dick Grayson is Robin, Dick pulls a Bruce, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Jason Todd is a small bean, Jason came to the family earlier, They learn young, What-If, mentions of drug use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23229721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pudding_bretzel/pseuds/pudding_bretzel
Summary: Dick knows the importance of promises. His parents taught him early on that he's never to break one, so he's also careful when he makes a promise. He won't make one if he can't keep it. With this one though? He might need some help from his mentor and guardian to make sure this one is kept as well.Or: Dick finds himself a stray Jason.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Series: Catch Me When I'm Weightless [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084859
Comments: 33
Kudos: 411





	Catch Me When I'm Weightless

**Author's Note:**

> Here's some fluff to counter some of the craziness going on out there. Stay safe and sound everyone and enjoy this ball of fluff! 
> 
> (Ages: Dick is around 10 here, Jason is 5.)

He’s tiny. Impossibly and adorably tiny. 

Dick knows that there are other things – more important things – he should think about, like is he alright? Is he hurt? What happened? How did he get here? 

But all he can think about are the black curls, ruling freely on his head and the big eyes, looking back up at him in both fear and awe. His clothes are tattered and dirty, as is the bit of skin not covered by cloth. In between the dirt Dick can see bruises and – is that blood? 

Dick’s hand grips the Batmobiles door more tightly as he watches the boy cower on the other side of the backseat. He can’t possibly imagine who would dare hurt a little boy. Then again, he’s seen enough in his time as Robin to know better. Adults are capable of horrible things if the price is right or even just to get rid of some pent-up anger. 

“I’m sorry.” The voice is impossibly small and barely reaches Dick’s ears. He watches confused as the boy tries to put even more distance between them, though unsuccessful. His back is already pressed against the other door of the car. 

Dick knows the look in the boy’s eyes, though he can’t think of a reason as to why it appeared there. Robin might be relatively new to Gotham, but by now the citizens know he’s here to help them. To keep them safe. 

But the little boy before him looks terrified of him. 

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” Dick tries to reassure the boy, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect. Instead, the other glances a bit to his left, before swiftly returning his gaze back to Dick. The movement is so quick Dick almost misses it but luckily, he doesn’t. Just like in one of his comics, he can feel a lamp light up over his head. 

He quickly loosens his grip on the door and tries to relax further. 

The response is immediate, as the boy’s shoulders slump and his fearful gaze starts to disappear. 

While Dick is relieved to see him calm down a bit, the action also confirms his suspicion. He was scared of Dick. _Scared that I would hurt him_. And all because Dick forgot one of the major rules Bruce taught him when handling an abuse victim. 

And as much as it pains him, that’s what the little boy before him is. At least his behavior and outer appearance so far hints towards it. And in all his righteous fury at the adults who did this, Dick made the boy believe that his anger was aimed at _him_. 

He might be Robin for quite some time now, but, apparently, he’s still making mistakes. Or maybe it’s the fact that they’re not in the field right now. They’re in the Batcave, a place to calm down, relax and lose the tensions of patrol, and somehow the boy before him managed to sneak into the Batmobile without Bruce or Dick noticing. 

The fact manages to make a smile stretch over Dick’s face as he leans forward, determined to lure the boy out of his hiding spot. Alfred would need to take a look at him, clean his wounds and see what else he needs. The sharp line of his cheekbones suggests that he also needs something to eat. And above all, Bruce would have to find out where he came from. 

“Come here,” he says in the same voice he always uses with the little ones he and Bruce sometimes find at a crime scene. The boy doesn’t react. He stays cowered on the seat, only throwing anxious and weary looks Dick’s way. 

Suppressing a huff, Dick barely manages to not make his frustration show, else he might scare the little one again. Then, as if trying to help Dick in his seemingly fruitless endeavor, a low grumble reaches his ears. A big smile on his face, Dick reaches out with a tentative hand before trying his luck once again. 

“I’ll get you something to eat, ‘kay?” 

That, if nothing else, finally gets him the boy’s attention. He perks up from within the shadowed seat and his eyes almost appear to gleam in the dim lighting, though he still seems hesitant. _Yes_ , Dick thinks triumphantly. 

“You _are_ hungry, right?” 

Slowly, almost imperceptible, the head of curly hair bobs up and down. 

“Agent A is really nice. He’ll give you something to eat and will also take care of those ouchies for you, if you want. They hurt, don’t they?” Dick is pretty sure that even if the boy should say no, Alfred would take care of them. The butler insists on caring for them, no matter how often Dick – or Bruce for that matter – tell him they’re ok. There’s no way that won’t apply to the small stowaway before him.

Again, his answer is a small nod, before finally the boy inches closer and closer to Dick. A triumphant smile on his lips, Dick waits patiently until the soft light of the cave reveals the boys face to him. 

He almost takes a surprised step back when the familiar teal eyes of the small boy he’d helped so many weeks ago in Crime Alley look back at him. 

“Jason?” The name slips from his tongue before he realizes it. 

He can still remember the little boy clinging onto him in fear when Batman and Robin helped him and his mom escape from a few of Two-Face’s thugs. The long talk he had with Jason afterwards is still fresh in his mind, as is his promise to the boy.

_If you’re ever in danger just come to me. Batman and Robin will always protect you._

He never thought the boy would take his promise quite so literally. But now that he’s here, there’s no way Dick will turn him away. He promised he would protect him and he’ll make sure not to break that promise. His parents made him understand the importance of keeping ones promises early in his life. 

Jason on his part looks at Dick with wide eyes, the surprise on his shallow face evident. _He’s even thinner than the last time I saw him_ , Dick notices.

“You remember me?” he asks in a small voice and Dick finds himself leaning closer to hear him better. 

“Of course.” Dick beams at him. “I made you a promise after all, didn’t I?”

Jason’s eyes, if possible, grow even wider and his awe returns tenfold. “You remember,” he breathes.

Smiling back at him, Dick holds his hand out towards the boy again. “Yup, and I want to make sure I keep it.”

In the blink of an eye, Jason’s fear seems to dissipate into nothing. He closes the small distance left between them and before Dick knows what’s happening, the boy has his short and too thin arms around his neck. Dick slings his arms around Jason as well, lifting him up into his arms and with a wave of surprise realizes that he has no problem holding the boy. 

He may be Robin, but he knows he’s still young and should probably have more trouble holding a child in his arms, even one as small as Jason. The boy barely weighs anything as he lifts him out of the car, his feet dangling in the air. He quietly whispers into Dick’s neck, just barely loud enough that he could hear him, as if afraid someone else might overhear. “I was scared. I wasn’t sure ya remembered.”

In an effort to comfort the boy, he curls his arms tighter around his body and nestles his head into Jason’s dirty hair, just like Bruce always does when Dick is sad. Hopefully it has the same soothing effect on Jason as it has on Dick. “I’d never forget.”

After a moment of hesitation, Jason burrows deeper into Dick’s neck, the boy’s warm breath softly tickling his neck. A smile once again splits Dick’s face and he confidently makes his way over to the Batcomputer. He’d have to tell Bruce about Jason and ask him to take care of him. After all, Robin’s promise is also Batman’s. They both help Gotham’s citizens, so it’s only natural that he would help Dick. 

Also, he’s his guardian, so he should probably let Bruce know he found a small boy in his car.

Trudging over to the platform leading to the computer, Dick catches sight of the big chair in front of the console. To his surprise, he finds the seat empty. 

“Oh right,” he mumbles, more to himself than the boy nestled in his arms. Bruce went up into the manor already, as did Alfred. Dick meant to join them quickly after getting his shoes from the car, where he’d left them after they felt too tight around his feet once again. He’d left them on the backseat, luckily. Else, he might never have found Jason hiding there. 

He walks over to Batman’s chair and turns it slightly, so he can deposit Jason on it and get Bruce or Alfred. As he moves to release Jason though, he feels the even breathing on his neck once again, the boy’s arms refusing to let go of his neck. 

“Jason?” Dick whispers, unsure if he wants to wake Jason if he’s asleep or not. 

The only answer he receives is another breath against his neck and an unintelligible grumbling.

A sigh escapes Dick as he ponders his next move. He doesn’t want to leave Jason down here and risk him waking up, finding himself alone in the giant cave. On the other hand, he isn’t sure what Bruce will say if he takes the boy up into the manor.

 _Never, ever let anybody know of your civilian identity_ , Bruce had hammered home to him back when he started out as Robin. Not even the Justice League members know who Batman and Robin are. Well, aside from Uncle Clark and Aunt Diana, of course.

He’ll be quick, he tells himself. Go up, get Bruce and go down into the cave again before Jason wakes up. Easy.

Bruce will understand why he took the risk. Surely. 

Mind made up, he changes his direction and walks towards the elevator that will take him to the small cabby on the first floor. The steps to the study are too much for him with Jason’s added weight and the cabby is close enough to the kitchen, where he’ll hopefully find either Alfred or maybe even Bruce. Alfred did say dinner was ready, after all.

The elevator stops on the first floor, the doors quietly flying open to reveal the inside of the small cabby where Alfred keeps all his cleaning utensils. 

After carefully maneuvering through the tight space without waking Jason up, Dick pushes the door open and steps into the hallway beyond. The manor is silent, as always, though the soft sound of voices travels through the corridors from down the hall. Dick bites his lip, looking back down at Jason. The boy is still fast asleep, thankfully, but Dick can’t help the queasiness in his stomach. If Jason woke up now, finding himself in the manor there would be chaos following.

He needs to hurry if he wants to avoid a bigger scolding than the one he’ll most likely receive no matter what. No need to make matters worse than they already are.

The hall is lit only by the soft light that reaches back through the windows in the entrance hall. The closer they get to the kitchen, the louder the voices and the occasional clang of metal against porcelain grows. Confident to find at least one of the two adults he’s looking for Dick widens his strides. He has to restrain himself from calling out, else he might wake up Jason, making this whole endeavor in stealth and silence pointless. 

“Maybe I should go and see what’s taking him so long.” Bruce’s baritone reaches Dick’s ear, swiftly followed by Alfred’s sober tone.

“Nonsense, Master Bruce. The boy is old enough to look after himself and come to dinner in time. There’s no need to make a fuss. At least I distinctly remember a certain youth telling me so on numerous occasions when he was Master Richard’s age.”

Bruce only answers with a grunt, much to Dick’s amusement. Then, he finally reaches the kitchen, where he finds Bruce sitting at the table, eating dinner and Alfred busying himself at the counter. The surprise he feels at finding both of them in the same room for dinner is stifled by the relief of the same fact. This would make things much easier.

He steps into the room and puts on his brightest smile in the hopes of diminishing the shock the two adults will no doubt feel at seeing Jason in his arms. 

“Ah, Master Richard. We’ve been...,” Alfred halts in his movements, his eyes glued to Dick, or rather Jason’s sleeping form in his arms. “Oh my.”

At Alfred’s words, Bruce finally turns in his seat as well and Dick holds his breath as he watches his guardian’s reaction closely. 

The kitchen is filled with complete silence for a moment, while Bruce and Dick’s eyes meet. Then, Bruce’s knife and fork slip from his hands, one falling onto the table, the other sailing to the floor and landing with a loud clank.

Panicked, Dick looks down at Jason, but thankfully finds him still fast asleep. When he looks back up, Bruce and Alfred are still staring at him with wide eyes. Were he not carrying a hurt little boy in his arms, Dick might have laughed at the fact that he managed to make both Batman _and_ his stoic butler speechless. As it stands, he squirms under the intense look of the other two and quickly jumps into explaining himself before either of them can scold him or anything.

“I found him in the car. He’s hurt and scared, so I wanted to come and get you, but then he fell asleep and–” He falters for a second, looking back down at Jason and holding him tighter once more. On second thought, he probably could have found another way to get the two adults without bringing Jason upstairs into the manor. But for some reason he doesn’t want to let go of the boy. He quite likes the small weight in his arms and the tight grip Jason’s small hands have on his uniform, even in deep sleep. 

Suddenly, there’s a calloused yet soft hand on his shoulder. He looks up to find Bruce kneeling in front of him, his gaze traveling from Jason to Dick and back again. The expression on his face is hard to read. His brows are creased, but it could be either because he’s angry or because he’s in deep thought.

Hoping for the latter, Dick quietly speaks. “Can we help him?”

Bruce’s blue eyes look back at him, his brows creasing even more for a moment, before his whole expression softens all at once. “Of course.” Then he reaches out with both hands. “Give him to me.”

For a moment, Dick hesitates, already missing Jason’s warm presence. Even though he quickly gets over himself – because he’s big now and he shouldn’t be difficult about something like this – and he hands the sleeping boy over, Bruce still gives him a quizzical look at his reluctance before carefully taking hold of Jason. 

When he moves to settling Jason in his arms though, he suddenly halts. While one of Jason’s hand released Dick’s uniform easily enough, he realizes the other is still clutching it with a death grip. Dick reaches back with one of his own hands and slowly untangles the much smaller one. A big part of him doesn’t want to lose the contact, feeling elated at the prospect of Jason wanting to let go of him as much as Dick wants to. Which he doesn’t, at all, but Bruce is bigger and can carry Jason easier and safer. 

The hand finally releases his cloth, but instead is now clutching Dick’s own hand. He looks back at Bruce, who is looking at their joint hands with a small smile. 

“Bruce?”

His guardian looks back at him, his smile still firm in place. “Looks like he doesn’t want to let go. Hold on to his hand tightly, okay?”

Dick nods confidently and curls his other hand around Jason’s. With that, Bruce lifts Jason up into his arms fully and they make their way back down into the cave, Alfred in tow. 

He watches the small hand in his with awe, remembering the first time he met Jason. Back then, he also held Jason’s hand, though for a very different reason. Back then, he raced down an alleyway with the little boy’s hand in his, pulling Jason along to quickly bring both his mother and him to safety before he went to help Batman. 

Afterwards, once the fight was over, he found Jason in front of his dazed mother, shielding her with his own small body. He admired his courage and after spending some time with him while waiting for the police and ambulance to arrive, found he liked the feisty boy with fire in his eyes very much.

He tightens his hold on Jason’s hand and walks alongside Bruce’s wide strides. Now, with Bruce and Alfred’s help he would be able to keep his promise to Jason without any trouble.

* * *

Bruce carefully lays Jason down on one of the med bay’s beds, before turning to Alfred and giving him a curt nod. Then, without another word, he leaves the room, motioning for Dick to follow him. His head held high, Dick does as he’s asked. 

He doesn’t regret helping Jason. No matter what Bruce would say to him, he’s glad he made the promise back then. He’s glad Jason found him when he needed to and he’s glad he asked Bruce and Alfred for help. Because as much as he wants to be able to keep his promise on his own, he knows his limits. He’s only ten years old and barely knows the basics of first aid. There’s no way he can help Jason on his own.

He follows Bruce across the cave, coming to a halt next to him once he flops down into the big chair at the computer with a deep sigh. Throwing a quick glance at Bruce, Dick isn’t quite sure what he should expect. Bruce looks tired more than anything else, pinching the bridge of his nose. He doesn’t look angry, nor irritated. 

“Bruce?” Dick dares to speak in a whisper, when his guardian still hasn’t said a word after a few more minutes. Instead of acknowledging Dick though, Bruce leans forwards and starts typing on the console, opening the file that holds all their cases of muggings and smaller incidents. 

Growing more and more nervous, Dick starts to fidget on the spot. He has to get the energy that tells him to go back to Jason, where he’s at least not just standing around doing nothing, out of his system somehow. Hopefully Jason hasn’t woken up yet, without Dick there. He’ll probably be scared with only Alfred. Dick still remembers how scared Jason was all those months ago when he was left alone with the policemen for only a few minutes. 

“Dick.” 

His head snaps back to his guardian, seeing his eyes watching him intently, the older man’s head bobbing up and down. Bruce reaches out with one of his big hands and puts it down on Dick’s shoulder. Suddenly the bobbing of Bruce’s head stops, and with a rush of heat to his cheeks, Dick realizes it was him that was bobbing, not Bruce. 

“Sorry,” he says, unsure if he really means it. He can’t help it. Sometimes he just needs to get the energy out, no matter how annoying it might be for others around him.

“It’s okay, chum.” Bruce smiles at him. Then, his arm gently guides Dick closer to him, so that he’s nearly sitting in Bruce’s lap.

“I’m not angry with you,” Bruce says, running his hands reassuringly through Dick’s hair. “But you need to answer me some questions, okay?”

Dick nods vigorously, the nervous energy seeping out of him in one go at Bruce’s words. 

With another click on one of the buttons on the console a file opens up on the screen, showing a written report and two pictures. Dick recognizes the people displayed on the two photographs immediately. 

One of them shows a frail, yet kind looking woman with ginger hair. Catherine Todd’s blue eyes, although slightly dull and a deep kindness in them, are looking straight back at the camera. Dick can still remember her soft voice calling for help that night, her cries interspersed with pained grunts. Her face is thin, cheeks sunken in. No matter how wide her smile is, it does nothing to hide her sickly appearance.

The other picture shows a small boy with black curly hair and bright teal eyes. Just like his mother, Jason has a frail look to him, but it’s hid behind the wide and confused gaze of his eyes. He’s not looking at the camera. Instead his gaze is directed a little bit off to the left, an intense look on his face as he maybe listens to or watches someone behind the camera. 

Looking at the picture before him, Dick sees the differences in Jason since their last meeting even more. He’s lost weight and even if he doesn’t smile on the picture, he still looks happier back then. Now, there’s a sadness and fear in his eyes that wasn’t there before. At least not to this extent. 

Dick doesn’t like the change very much.

“Is the boy back in the med bay with Alfred Jason Todd?” 

Dick nods again. “Yeah.”

“And you found him in the car?”

Another nod.

“I don’t know how he got inside, but when I went to get my shoes he was there, hiding on the back seat.”

“I see,” Bruce says, and as he looks back at the screen Dick swears he hears Bruce let out a quiet chuckle. “And do you have an idea what prompted him to hide in the Batmobile?”

“You remember when we helped him and his mum?” Dick starts, putting both his hands on each of Bruce’s knees, before starting to push himself up and down. Bruce nods, keeping one of his hands hovering next to Dick. “Well, I talked with him afterwards and promised him that Batman and Robin will always protect him if he needs help.” With another push, he flips himself onto Bruce’s lap and looks up at him, unable to keep the worry that maybe he shouldn’t have made the promise at bay. “Was that wrong?”

“No, chum.” Bruce rests his hand on Dick’s back and starts running it up and down. He seemed to fight himself while he said the words. It wasn’t helping to reassure Dick that he really did the right thing. 

“Alright, I need to take care of some things. You go back and see if Alfred needs any help.”

Reluctantly, Dick slips down and watches Bruce for a moment. “What are you doing?”

Bruce doesn’t answer for quite some time, his attention focused on the screen in front of him. The files of Jason and his mother’s mugging is closed again. 

“We’ll need to inform Jason’s mother that he’s safe. She must be worried sick.”

“Can I stay?” Dick asks. This way he can reassure Jason that his mother knows everything’s okay when he goes to join him in the med bay.

Bruce grunts an affirmative and pushes one last button. A number appears on the screen, one that Dick knows by heart and is rather surprised to see. He thought Bruce would call Jason’s mum, not the commissioner. 

“Yes,” the commissioner’s voice answers after only a few seconds.

“Commissioner,” Bruce starts, and without the cowl on it’s kind of funny hearing him speak like Batman. Dick stifles a laugh as he listens on. “We have a bit of a situation.”

“And that would be?” the commish asks, surprise in his voice. They left the city almost an hour ago, telling him that the streets are comparatively quiet tonight. Hearing from Batman about a _situation_ now must be unexpected.

“We had a stowaway in the car tonight. One Jason Todd managed to slip inside without either me or Robin noticing. I need you to contact his mother, Catherine Todd, and let her know her son is safe.”

At the mention of Catherine’s name, there was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. Silence follows Bruce’s request, the tension slowly starting to stretch out into foreboding. 

Then, finally, the commish answers, his voice slightly strained. “Did you say Catherine Todd?”

Bruce tenses, his hands curling into fists where they lay on the console. “Yes.”

A sigh follows, before the commissioner speaks again. “Catherine Todd is dead. Her body was found a few days ago in her apartment. Overdosed. We’ve been looking for Jason ever since.”

Dick’s breath catches in his throat at the commissioner’s words. Unwillingly, he remembered the night he lost his own mum and dad. It was so awful, everything hurt back then. Breathing, walking, laughing. Living. 

He numbly listens as the commish continues. “She was dead for quite a while. Jason must have been alone for at least a week, maybe more. Is he okay?”

Dick wants to scream no, because finally Jason’s sad eyes make sense to him. His fear of getting close to Dick, after spending a week alone, doing who knows what in a city such as Gotham. But he can’t find his voice, just like he couldn’t two years ago, when people asked _him_ if he was okay. 

“I didn’t get a good look at him yet, but he seemed physically fine aside from some bruises and lack of food,” Bruce answers instead. After a small break, he continues. “What about his father?”

A weak laugh escapes the commish at the question. “In prison.” 

Without wasting anymore time and listening to the two men talk about Jason’s dead mom so casually, Dick turns and runs back to the med bay. He needs to make sure Jason is okay. He promised him, after all. 

With a jolt, Dick realizes why exactly Jason came to him. He doesn’t have anywhere else to go. His mom is dead, his dad in prison. 

And Dick promised him he would protect him. 

He opens the door to the med bay and nearly stumbles back out again at the sound of Jason’s laughter. Alfred is standing next to Jason’s bed, holding the boy’s thin arm in his hand and cleaning a cut. At the same time, the butler smiles at Jason and tells him some kind of story Dick can’t concentrate on at the moment. 

Because Jason’s laughing. His smile is wobbly and tears are brimming in his eyes, but he’s laughing all the same. 

Alfred looks up from his task and smiles at Dick. “Ah, Master Robin.” Dick takes the last few steps into the room and closes the door behind him. With another few steps he stands next to Alfred and Jason. “I was just telling Master Jason of the time you tried on Master Batman’s suit and we were looking for you for almost two hours.” Jason lets out another fit of giggles at the mention of the funny story. “I must say, you made quite the picture back then. I wish I had taken one.” 

Forgetting about the urgent matter for a second, Dick huffs indignantly, before bracing his fists on his sides, puffing himself up. “Just you wait, soon enough I’ll fit into the suit. Then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

“Oh dear, I hope it’ll be a long time until that happens, so we can prepare for the chaos that will no doubt ensue.”

This time Dick joins in on Jason’s laughter. But the sound is quickly interrupted by a hiss and the sound of sobbing. 

“Pardon, Master Jason,” Alfred says, dabbing the cloth over the wound again, “I’m nearly done.” 

He picks up a band-aid and puts it on the wound, giving it a soft tab and smiling at a teary Jason.

“There we go, all done. You were very brave, Master Jason.”

Jason nods as he snuffles, the snot that leaked out his nose traveling back up. It seems the small slip up is all he needed, for suddenly Jason starts to hiccup, thick tears rolling down his cheeks. His face quickly scrunches up into a miserable grimace.

“I wan’ my mommy,” he manages to garble between sobs.

Before Alfred can react to the sudden outburst, Dick hops up onto the bed and settles down next to Jason. He engulfs the boy into a tight hug, stroking Jason’s back the way Bruce always does when he is sad because of his parents. 

“I’m sorry about your mommy, Jason,” Dick says, feeling his uniform soak up Jason’s tears and snot where the other’s face is pressed against Dick’s chest. But Dick doesn’t care. Not if it means he can help calm Jason down.

They stay like this for a very long while. Dick is scared that Jason would have no water left in him by the time he finally quieted down. When he pulls away to look at Jason and further calm him down, he finds the boy asleep in his arms once again. He looks around the room for Alfred, hoping the older man can help him, only to find the med bay empty. The light is dimmed, and Dick feels like it’s also warmer than before. Alfred must’ve put the heater on. 

He moves to lay Jason down, only to find himself in a familiar predicament. Jason’s hands are tightly clasped into the cloth of his uniform. But instead of trying to pry the hands away like last time, Dick finds he doesn’t mind. In fact, he’s quite tired himself and so, with Jason still in his arms, he lays down on the soft bed.

Before his head hits the pillow, Dick is out like a light.

* * *

He isn’t sure what time it is, but he’s still very much tired when he wakes up. A hand tentatively shakes his shoulder once more, pulling him away from his dreams completely. At first he isn’t sure where he is, a confused sound escaping his throat.

“Dick,” a deep voice says softly. It takes Dick a second, but when he manages to pry his eyes open, he finds Bruce’s face hovering not too far. “Hey, chum.” A smile stretches over Bruce’s features in response to Dick’s own. 

“’Ey,” he mumbles, his mind and tongue still slow and thick with sleep. 

“Everything okay?” 

Dick makes another confused sound at the question. Why shouldn’t it be?

Bruce chuckles at his reaction and nods down to Dick’s chest. He follows his guardian's gaze and finds his view full of black curls. With a start, he remembers the last night’s events, finding Jason and holding him close until both of them fell asleep on the bed. 

He looks back up at Bruce and gives him a small nod, careful not to jostle and wake Jason in the process.

“Dick, I need to talk to you about something.” Bruce’s features lose their easiness and Dick perks up, paying attention to his next words. “I talked with the commissioner and Alfred about Jason and we all thought that it would be best if Jason stayed somewhere he would be taken care of and he felt safe and comfortable.” 

Dick’s eyes grow wide at those words and he slings his arms around Jason’s sleeping form. He isn’t quite sure yet what Bruce is getting at, but it sounds suspiciously like what people told him before they sent him to the orphanage. 

And he didn’t like it there at all. He didn’t want the same for Jason. The few weeks he spent there had been awful. 

“You can’t do that to Jason,” he whispers.

Surprise colors Bruce’s face at those words. “What do you mean?”

“The orphanage.”

As quick as the surprise appeared, it was gone again. “We don’t plan to send him to an orphanage.”

Dick gives a sigh of relief at those words, as Bruce continues. “But he also doesn’t have any family left that can or wants to take care of him. Until we find a suitable foster home for him, I thought maybe...” Bruce falters for a moment, before he cups Dick’s head with his large hand, running his thumb along Dick’s cheek. “I need you to answer me truthfully, okay?”

Dick nods, waiting with baited breath for Bruce to continue. 

“Would it be okay for you if Jason stays with us for a little while?”

Before Bruce even finishes asking the question, Dick is already vigorously nodding. He knows his face is sporting one of his brightest grins at the moment, but it somehow feels like it still doesn’t quite merit his internal happiness. 

He didn't think he would like the idea so much, but now, after being asked by Bruce, there’s not a shroud of doubt in him that he wants Jason to live with them. It would be much easier to keep his promise this way. He could help Jason with the sadness and the loneliness. He could show him all kinds of tricks and they could have lots of fun together. The manor wouldn’t be so empty and boring anymore with a little brother there with him.

Because that’s what Jason would be in the end, right? He would be Dick’s little foster brother. 

He looked down at the sleeping boy and felt his earlier nervousness return again. Of course, Jason would have to want to stay with them as well but looking at the small hands still clutching Dick’s uniform, he probably already knows Jason’s answer. 

He can’t wait to show Jason all the fun spots in the manor.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh Dick, don't get ahead of yourself. He's not your brother.. Not yet at least, lol.  
> I got the idea with Dick's shoes from a post by Hood-ex (also on AO3 as HoodEx) that I read on tumblr a few days ago. So the credit to that amazing and adorable idea goes to her! You can find the post [here](https://hood-ex.tumblr.com/post/612791961837076480/whats-weird-about-dick-in-robin-annual-4-is-that).  
> I hope it's okay I borrowed it.  
> The title from this fic is from the song [One Touch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb8F5prMjnA) by Jess Glynne.
> 
> My [tumblr](https://pudding-bretzel.tumblr.com/).


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